HELP is on the way. Or so Russian state television declared on August 12th, as nearly 300 lorries with food, medicine and generators set off from a base outside Moscow for the besieged city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.Confusion reigns over what the lorries are carrying, and over how they will cross into Ukraine. As The Economistwent to press,...

The European Commission will next week come forward with market stabilisation measures to compensate a number of perishable fruit and vegetable producers for losses suffered as a result of Russia’s ban on food from the European Union. The Russian ban is a counter-measure against EU sanctions on Russian individuals and financial institutions...

As Russian President Putin holds meetings in Crimea, a yearning is palpable among people there. A yearning for a time when many believe life was better. People want Russia to restore that past, but it’s not an easy path. …read more Source: Deutsche...

A new Ukrainian law was supposed to allow the government to shut down media and block websites without a court order. Images mixed by author. A new draft law in Ukraine threatened to empower the government to shut down media outlets and block websites in the name of national security. The law, which passed its first reading in parliament...

A Russian aid convoy left the south-western Russian city of Voronezh in the early hours on Thursday and can be seen advancing towards the Ukrainian border. Kiev declared that the convoy would not be allowed to pass on Wednesday, but a presidential spokesman says a compromise might be found, bringing the distribution under the control of the...

The centre of Ukraine’s rebel-held bastion of Donetsk was hit by heavy shelling for the first time since fighting began between government forces and pro-Russia separatists, witnesses and reporters at the scene said. …read more Source: France...

Group of 280 trucks, reportedly carrying humanitarian aid, stops in field 25 miles from rebel-controlled border crossingA large Russian convoy reportedly carrying humanitarian aid has arrived close to the border with eastern Ukraine, near a crossing point controlled by pro-Russian separatists.The route of the 280-truck convoy, which set off from...

Artillery fire is reported to have hit near the center of the rebel-held eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk for the first time in the current fighting. Meanwhile, a Russian convoy approached the Ukrainian border. …read more Source: Deutsche...